The portraits

Jack Walley:

Julie Dowling was approached by Richard Walley to paint his portrait for the National Portrait Gallery Collection in Canberra., ACT.The artist had refused all commissions to date as her art practice is based inan auto-ethnographic process.As Richard Walley is a distant cousin and has been known by the artist for over 20 years she accepted the commission.The portrait took 3 sitting, two formal and one interview. All tolled the hours out together the portrait was completed in 2 weeks.

Jack Thompson:​Since 2012 Dowling has been painting a series of informal chiaroscuro portraits of prominent in the film & theater arts who have supported social reform to stop the injustice of assimilation & racism of First nation People on the Australian continent & abroad. One portrait, which was part of a series of six, was made of the actor Jack Thompson. the work was painted without a sitter. Julie Dowling was inspired instead after watching films and speeches by the actor in favour of First Nations land rights and social justice at a number of rally's aired on the internet and television. The portrait was also bought by the National Portrait Gallery at the same time the Richard Walley portrait commission was almost completed.